DePauw graduates 472 seniors in virtual ceremony shown globally

DePauw University Sunday conferred degrees on 472 graduating seniors in a virtual ceremony streamed on YouTube.

The virtual ceremony, necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, will be followed by an in-person ceremony being planned for a later date.

Members of the Class of 2020 voted for the dual recognitions, and DePauw wanted to ensure that degrees had been officially conferred on students whose next plans – to attend graduate school or go into the military – require such official action.

DePauw has a sizeable enrollment of international students, so a worldwide audience was looking on as President D. Mark McCoy told the graduates, “You have done the difficult work with necessary fortitude: You have attended the classes, put in long hours of study, met with your professors and advisers and even learned how to do all of these things remotely – doing anything and everything necessary to fulfill the requirements for your degrees.

“You have earned the right to mark your triumphs and to celebrate your achievements.”

Tim Good, the professor of communication and theater chosen by class members to speak, said, “What I have to say to you, what I am not ashamed to say, is that your teachers love you. And of course, I mean faculty, but I also mean staff members. I mean food service, laboratory assistants, administrative assistants, coaches. I mean custodians, facilities, student life and many, many others. I also mean administrators, trustees, alumni. And I really mean it. We’re all here for you.”

Meanwhile, two students were honored with the most prestigious awards DePauw gives to graduating seniors.

Brittany Davis received the Walker Cup Award, given to the member of the graduating class who has been determined to have contributed the most to the university during his or her four years of enrollment.

“Upon starting my DePauw journey four years ago, I had no idea that I would be able to grow so much, both inside and outside of the classroom,” said Davis, who plans to pursue an M.D.-Ph.D. program toward becoming a medical research physician. “The experiences I have had have been truly incredible and have sculpted me into who I am today.”

Davis, of Indianapolis, double majored in neuroscience and global health and minored in Spanish and chemistry.

Other nominees for the Walker Cup were Luka Ignac, Summer Pappachen and Brenda Rodriguez.

Ignac, a native of Croatia who majored in political science and French and minored in peace and conflict studies, was awarded the Murad Medal, which recognizes the senior who has had the most significant scholarly and/or artistic achievements during his or her time at DePauw.

The medal is named for Ferid Murad, a physician and Ph.D. pharmacologist who won the Nobel Prize for his far-reaching contributions to medical science. Murad was a 1958 DePauw graduate.

Ignac plans to attend Georgetown University’s Master of German and European Affairs program as one of five global public service leaders to receive a prestigious McHenry Fellowship.

Other finalists for the Murad Medal were Zachary Wilkerson of Greencastle and John Cotton.